Protect Your Pet Today

A couple of years ago, my parents’ dog Tom died from a case of heart worms. This adorable chow mix suffered with this condition for many months before he passed away. While watching his struggle, I learned about the importance of screening your pet for heart worms regularly. I also discovered how critical giving your furry friend monthly heart worm prevention pills are. My dog new Sammie is screened annually for heart worms. She also takes a pill once each month that is supposed to prevent her from ever succumbing to this heartbreaking problem. Her monthly pill also protects her from fleas. On this blog, you will learn how to protect your pet from heart worms today.

Why Male Rats Are Better Than Female Rats For Children

Posted on:
5 March 2015

Like most animals, male and female rats have different personalities that can affect how they are as pets. When it comes to giving your child pet rats, you might wants to consider whether your child should have males or females. Male rats have many benefits over females for young pet owners. Here's why:

Temperament

Both male and female rats are friendly as can be as long as they were held as babies. If they haven't been held much, and many rats from pet stores haven't been held, pet rats can still become incredibly friendly pets. Females tend to be a bit more skittish and can take longer to tame than male rats.

Personality

Every rat has its own personality, but males tend to be a bit more mellow than females. They are more likely to be content just sitting in your child's lap and sleeping the day away. Females are more playful and will mostly want to explore when out of the cage and will constantly slip out of a child's hand to go play.

Size

Males are larger than females, sometimes double in size. A happy, healthy male can grow to the size of a small rabbit. This makes them much easier to pick up, carry, and hold. Smaller female rats can slip away from hands easier and can frustrate a child that is reaching in the cage to take out that furry friend. Males are also easier to grab when outside the cage.

Health

Here is where choosing males over females has the biggest difference. Sadly, females are very prone to growing tumors. Whether cancerous or not, these tumors will kill the rat if left to grow. You must take a rat with a tumor to the vet to have it removed, which can be costly and scary for your child. Even with the tumor removed, another can grow elsewhere. If you don't have the tumor removed, the little girl will slowly become unable to move and then die. It's a horrible way for your child to watch a beloved pet die. Males, on the other hand, or much less likely to get tumors. If you're worried about testicular cancer, you can have the males castrated by a vet.

In the end, male rats are the best choice for children. Children can hold them easily and you won't have to worry as much about health issues. For more information, contact a veterinary clinic, such as the Canine Center.